Transparent radiative cooler with high thermal conductivity for heat dissipation in electronic devices
Xiaoxuan Li, Zhiqiang Xie, Boqu Chen, Lu Cai, Ding Zhao, Kaikai Du, Min Qiu
Abstract
Effective heat dissipation is crucial for wearable devices, especially with the increasing popularity of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems, which are typically in direct contact with human skin. However, cooling such devices remains a significant challenge due to their compact size and limited battery life. Here, we demonstrate a transparent radiative cooler with high thermal conductivity as an optical lens of smart glasses to achieve efficient thermal management. By integrating silicon carbide, used for enhanced thermal conduction, with an SiO 2 /TiO 2 /ITO multilayer structure, engineered for visible-light antireflection and radiative cooling, the surface temperature of the miniature projector, a major heat-generating component in smart glasses, is reduced from 54.3°C above ambient to 29.1°C under air convection. Notably, such a proposed cooler provides significant heat dissipation by simply depositing a micron-thick film without any external components, making it a promising solution for thermal management in modern electronic devices.